Binoculars



Jan. 2 2, 14946. w. J. RSELL 2,393,339

BINOCULARS Filed Aug. v`25, 1943 2' Sheets-Sheet 1 wnmsss; v INVEN'TOR SIMM/L y William J Fussell.

8J. M01/LAQ; BY

ATTOR N EY Jan.22,1946. WJ, RUSSE| l l 2,393,339

BINOCULARS Filed Aug. 25, 1943 K 2 Smets-sheet 2 INVENTOR w|TNEssEs-.

William J Russell.

ATTORNEY members of cast material.

Patented Jan. 22, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BINOCULARS William J. Russell, New Britain, Conn., assignor to Westinghouse Electric Corporation, East Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania l Application August 25, 1943, Serial No. 499,902

'7 Claims.

It is believed that the binocularbody as an 1 articley of manufacture, has certain characteristics, aside from the facility of manufacture and economy of material quantity used, which provide an article of highly improved character, one of Such characteristic is the resilient yet rugged construction achieved by the use of pressed-metal such as steel in each of the complete body portions comprising the binocular. Such resilience is inherent in pressed-metal assemblies and renders the binocular assembly less likely to damage or untness for use due to misalignment of the body portion resulting from dropping of the binocular orits being subjected to large twisting loads which may quite frequently be the case, particularly in military use. In short a considerably larger amount of rough handling of theY binocular having a pressed-metal body may take place without causing misalignment than is possible with binoculars having body portions or sumes, of course, similar material Weights or sections. y

' Another such characteristic is the structural strength achieved by the specic hinge mounting to the binocular body members, which is very evident upon an inspection of this construction. The particular construction prevents a concentration of forces or stressesin the body members due to loading of the hinge members in bending as may be caused by twisting of the instrument in the plane of the hinge, due to loading of the This statement as-V cipal object' of. the present invention to provide an optical instrument having a body or barrel construction in which structuralv strength is an inherent characteristic.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a body or barrel construction for a prismatic binocular or other optical instrument which is formed of pressed-metal.

A still further object is to provide a design wherein relatively simple stampings are required, thereby providing for amaximum precision in forming the parts, as well asA maximum facility in setting up themetals so that they will remain vpermanently in alignment and position.

` A specific object of the present invention is to provide a pressed-metal body or barrel construction'for a binocular or other optical instrument in which the body or barrel vis formed in two i halves and flanged longitudinally for the purinstrument in either tension or compression y transversely of the hinge axis and due to force couples axially ,of the hinge axis. In'any of the above-mentioned conditions a distribution of forces is obtained which, in partfbecauseof the hinge member mounting and, in part,v due to the inherent resilience of the pressed-metal body members, obviates a stress conditionin excess of the elastic limit of thebody material which would result in a permanent misalignment of the body members, except, of course, under the most severe conditions.

Accordingly in its broadest aspect it is ,a prinpose of providing joining surfaces and stiftening the assembled halves.

Another Vspecific object of the present invention is to provide a prismatic binocular in which the hinge membersfare secured to the body or barrel members in a manner to effect a distribution of stresses.

YOther objects and advantages will become apparent upon a study of the following specification when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a sectional view of the assembled binocular body or barrel members constructed in accordance with the teachings of this invention. The sectional view being taken in the plane of the section indicated on Fig; 2. The eyepiece and objective lenses, and the prism assembly are indicated intheir respective positions in dot-dash outline,

Fig. 2 is a view looking into the eyepiece end of the assembled binocular body members, n

` Fig.'3 is a view looking into the eyepiece end of the assembled right hand body member and having the front cover plate removed,y

Fig. 4'is a bottom plan view of the assembly illustratedinFig. 3,

Fig-5v is a 'sectional view taken on the line V-V of Fig. 4, andv Fig. 6 is a sectional View taken on the line VI- VI of Fig. 3.

Referring now to Figs.Y 1 and 2 the assembled assembly generally denoted by the reference character. It will be noted in Figs. 1 and 2 that the blies their respective positions and means of support in the body or barrel members are shown` -f which for the purpose of this invention is deemed sufficient, Y

Each body or barrel membervcomprises ja top',-

half 8 and a bottom half 9 which are formed of pressed-metal, preferably steel-,.and are provided 'j with outside flanges Il) and inside fiangesII extending longitudinally of the body for theepur poseof-prpviding suitablejoining surfaces and alsqto function as-,stiifening ribs.-v The .iiangesv II .onv the Yinside vor hinge sidetof thebodyare considerably wider than the: ,outside-.iianges.-I0.

Thebodyghalves 8 and 9,;overgthatportion of their length included withinvthe hingemounting theretdA are providedwith offset or embossedfportions I2 which formv'a plane surface atsright: anglesto the vflanges `Il and-additionallystiffen theA body- 1vinthe region, ofthe hinge mounting.

The lhinge- 3. comprisesthe ytvvo :pairs of lhinge lugs/I3 and I4 which as seenin Figui. are reduced torfhalf their normal or bodythickness and positioned in overlapping pivotal engagement.- Each lug ZatitsbodyI engaging extremity is Slotted for a portionfofits length to receive in such. slotthe flanges I I with thesextremity ofthe lugsflabuttingthe surface ,of the offsetvsurfacelzcf the body orbarrel. Figs. `3, 4 and- 5 clearly illustrate this particular mounting. When properly*secured-itV will be seen that a very securehinge/lugl mountingis vprovidedand that `further by-reasono f the particular :.b .dy-. configiir@tieneprevidedH by: the offsetpr embossedmortionfl 2 yandtheflanges, II theta distribution .0fsiressesfintheibodris aber tained. This will be better understoodfbyi-a com-g; parisonyef thismQuntirievwiih v @nein `.which the Marennes ,-:merelyiabut they surface of 'e body'- Whiiiis not @Offsetf-andalensedfin v,the marmer:

shown. With this type of construction a-friystress-f. es i"ivoiilrl ,be concentrated@ :the-.base of the hinge lus andthe .body Wei-11d bel ,-muchmore readily-,

deformedgbecause .of 1this;stress concentration.. With-the particularfbody comisiirationshown the;` stressesare rdistributedthroughput he.y offset body.` portionfand the ange and Y.are vthus transmitted toftheybody proper over a considerably larger,i area. Such area being largely dened by the area of the; offset, I2. It .Willfurtherlbenotedn'that the expedientof inserting-the;flangedfsurface II l into.I slots i, in ;the base. of ,the hinge lugsy I 3 -and I4 provides additional structural strengthgparg ticularly withrespectto transverseloading of 'the' hinges 1andfvvith respect'` to forces l acting axially of the hinge axis. forcesit will beseeri-v in Figpfi that, the ifla-rlges I2 by reason of their extendingthroughout.the' length, of the body or barrel, -distributestresses caused by such loads throughout ther lengthof the` ,bodyand .in a similanmanner withrespect to ;-vthe` ,axialI forces prevent a .Concentration.` of stresses Lat any.y .one points; In short, -theg joining of 1the. flangesjll provides Ain effect: a. rib. member which functions :in a mannerlsmilar .to va beams Its; laminated construction: providing structurer Regarding, y the transverse strength far greater than that of an equivalent solid section.

The specific hinge construction While shown in some detail in the drawings forms no part of the present invention and is provided among other reasons for the purpose of completeness. It is also believed that the presentation` of such details will provide an appreciation of the need for accuracy inthe construction ,of such'optical instruments-whereby anunderstanding of the specic manufacturing process to be hereinafter described will be more readily had.

The hinge 3 comprises an internally tapered bushing I5 which is provided with a flange I6 at one-rend,y and .which is secured Within suitable bores Yingtheextremities of the lugs I3 by means of pinsA II extending through the iiange I6 into the .lugyI 3, -toprevent rotation, and the flanged over nportion I8 engaging the opposite lug I3, to preventaxial movement. A cooperating externally.taperedaxlememben I-8 disposed within the bushing ..15V .engages thelugs.. .Iii and..is `secured againsty .rotative moyementewith. respect to the lugs I4 by means ofthepin 2ILwhich; acts. as a key. This axle member is adjusted axially.. of the bushing l5 by .means of the capv screws-.2 I and 22 ,which threaded-1y engage...V then: internally.

threaded. extremitiesiothe axle to varythe 'presa sure of. engagement between .the cooperating .ta-f.

peredisurfaces of ;the;axle ,ISLand the bushingv I5. Sincethe axle Ais engaged=with the lugmembers I4 secured to thebodyorgbarrel Iand .the bushing.. I54is secured -to theibodyorbarrel .2, thepressure: of engagement vof the.cooperating.tapered.sur,. faces .determines .the stiffness vof the hinge@ and mayfbe adjusted-.to any ,suitable A:valueof-.stifffness,.bysmeansi-ofthe.,capscr ews12I and 22. A suitable circular.` scale .23, marked. in degrees f or otherwise i suitably marked yin .interpupillary dis.- tances is secured-.to thev lug .I 4 through thev cap screw 22; by means-of fthev screw- -24 yand .the pin 25., .A 4cooperating marking vor pointer v26 .is pro-v (see Fig..v3) ,f having an arcuate threaded yportion y somewhat greater thana semicirc1e,is provided in the opposite body extremity to have threaded thereinthe eyepiece-lens assembly 44. The eyepiece lensV assemblyassociated `with .the left-hand bodyA or barrelmembenl being proyidedvvith-the reticley 1assemblyfas; shown.. at 1. The.y prisms- 34 are .positioned in .the manner. Well. known .in 4the artupon a prism..supnortor shelf. 35. 5 Such .a prism assemblyllis .accuratelylocated and supported Within each ofthebinocularbody or bar..

relv @members by. means vof the... ythree prism..supporting Vlugs 36,-.31 .and ,38,...illustratedclearly in- Figa-f3 ani-1.5, which are secured. internally `of the bodyrnembers. The ,respective positions .of the cooperating.` prisms are accurately effected dur-y ing thesassembly'fof the prismsfupon `rthe shelf,v

It is a further necesseryyvhen mounting-theprisml assembly-vvithin--thev body member :to providel an extremely accurate mounting for -theshelfy otherwise-fthefcptical axisthrcuehfthe prismwwill noibe heinedenhwih thepticel axise .the eyepiece andt objective 1 enses;..V This; E, of lcourseig canfonly be effected by an extremely accurate manufactureingprocess;V and willngbadesC-.ribed hereinafter --in accepted. Some of the more important advandetail.V Assuming .for the moment, however, proper positioning of theV lugs 36,' 31 and 38, accurate positioning of the prismshelf fon the lugs is accomplished by means of a pair of dowels (not shown) disposed .on the prism shelf which engage the reamed holes 39 and40 respectively in the lugs 36 and 31. The shelf is then secured at three points by means of screws passing therethrough and threadedly engaging the tapped holes 4I, 42 and 43 provided in the lugs. The front cover Vplates 44, which are secured to the eyepiece extremities of each of the body members prior to the mounting of the eyepiece lens assembly 4, are secured by means of the screws 45, one of which screw threadedly engages a tapped hole 46 provided in the eyepiece bushing 3| and the other of which threads into the lug 41 secured within the body. Each ofthe body members is preferably coated with a Lvulcanized coating of hard rubber f The hereinbeiore described binocular body construction provides an inherently strong binocular. The strength feature resides primarily in the inherent resilience obtained by using the stamped metal bodies and the proper design and construction of the metal stamping.VY Further explanation regarding resilience inmetal stampings is, of course, unnecessary since such characteristics are well known to the art. The design of metal stampings for maximum strength foraparticular application,` may be varied within given limits. In the instant application the completed stamped body assembly was required to be interchangeable with bodies of cast material used informed constructions. To accomplish this it was, therefore, necessary to provide an external configuration of the. stamped body which was substantially the same .as that of the cast body and insert prism lugs, eyepiece and objective bushings in a manner to accommodate the standard opticaldele'ments and mount the hinges to achieve the predetermined interpupillary dimensions for given hinge angles. The design of the body configuration was, therefore, well dened byk known requirements which had to be fairly rigidly adhered to.

` It was, therefore, necessary to consider the con-` struction which, vtogetherV with possible o alterations in surface contour of the. body to achieve strength, would provide the strongest body. The split bodyj construction illustrated and hereinbeforedescribed afforded the simplest and strongtagesare, minimum'of machining required, minii mum Vof materialemployed in a construction and est arrangementV since with this construction it y was possible to provide the flanged portions I0 and I I whichwhen properly bonded together provide stiffening ribs longitudinallyl of the body. The ribs II in combination with the offset or em- 'bossedjbody' portions I2 function additionally to 'provide a hinge mountng which has inherentlyA found necessary to perform many operations by' hand which resulted in a slow and laborious manufacturing procedure. The manufacturing process presently to be described provides such precision ,control of manufacturing and such a 'se-1 q'uence of manufacturing operations that the iinished product is inherentlyaccurately aligned. The advantages obtained by the use of pressedmetal constructions are,1of course, well known and i maximum strength in'relation to weight, if properly designed; The pressed-steel bodies now being ness of which'is approximately one-third to onefourth the cross-sectional thickness of the material, for example, in die-cast aluminum bodies. A comparison of the relative strength of two such bodies revealed that the pressed-steel body was the equivalent in structural strength of the diecast aluminum body.

There are several methods of making the pressed-metal body or barrel members. Among these are the one-piece drawn body and the split body.l Consideration of such problems as dimensional vcontrol inthe stamping operation and facility of stamping resulted in the selection of the split body design. With the split body design a simpler and more drectsolution to the specic stamping problem isachieved, since abetter setup of the material in the press operation is possible and a closer vcontrol of irregular shapes and contours is obtained by simplifying the stamping operation.

The split body design comprises four individual stampings for the complete binocular assembly, the twovupper left and right-hand body halves 8 f and the two lower left and right-hand body halves 9. kFor the purpose of simplicity the illustrations of Figs. 3 to 6 inclusive show only the `right-hand body or barrel member r2 and the balance of this disclosure relating to the manufacturing process for the binocular bodies will, therefore, be understood irl-connection with the above-named illustrations. `The descriptive material directed'to such process, however, is equally applicable to the left-hand body member since this member is merely a reversal of the right-hand member.

The steps in the manufacturing process for the right and left-hand `body members I and 2 are as follows;

l. Stamp the upper and lower body halves 8 and v9 providing inthe stamping operation the stamped or embossed projections 49 in the flanges I and Ii as shown in Fig. 6, and the punched holes 49a in the cooperating flanges of the opposite body half for the purpose of aligning the body halves` 8 and 9 for assembly.

2. Form and trim the anges 5i! and Sila on thev eyepiece extremities of the body halves.

43. Trim the flanges defining the plane of the body division to the approximate dimensions illustrated at I6 and II in Figs. 4 and 6 and provide the hinge lug locating notches 5I in both upper and lower body halves.

4. Punch holes 52 and 53 in the upper body half 8 and hole 54 in the lower body half 9 for locating the prism suport lugs 36, 31 and 38 respectively; punch hole 55 for locating the front cover lug 41, punch holes 5e for locating the eyepiece bushing 3l and punch holes 51 in the anges II for locating the hinge lugs I3 and I4.

5. Stake the prism shelf lugs in their respective positions, rivet the cover lug 41, the eyepiece vbushing 3I and the hinge lugs in position and press the objective bushing'in the circular openingV 21.

l 6. Applybrazing material to all inserted lugs and bushings.

7. Place the body halves together with strips of ribbon-like or wire-like brazing material inserted between orV adjacent the abutting sur.-

facesz'of theanges 51S. andsI I :andithenlweldaorz otherwise secure 1 the;.bo.dy halves :togethersl 8. zHydrogen-.braze :theX bddyimen'ihers"byipass-a'.y ingf: them .through a hydrogen: controllediifun-J;

nace'havinga uniformheatingiand coolingnycle'.;

9. Thoroughlyclean the: brazedibodies.; and trim:

fla-ngeL Ill'. to'. dimensions .of..-ange el 02 in. Figzea and remove. excess 'blazingimaterialz.;A

;..1Grind .fthe objective :sand ..eyepiece Isends.

assassin ingu-material sis -sinaderavailable to vthese .surzfaces.a;f.The-1;result fis that neat and^l securejoint" is :obtainediafterzbrazing: i

Thenhingef ylugs r 'I 3 and I 4; Aprism shelf? lugs 35;;

a .cross-.sectional configuration the. sameas the protleroff.' the particular' lug, :hinge or *bushing to .bei cut .therefromi :Any onei of these parts may.

parallelfand to predetermined:.dimensionscwith: lOthereforegibe made by a simple cut-.offoperation.`

respectv to the hingelugs..1T

l1. Ream. and. counterbore-fhinger lugs. |31 to receivev bushing I5-fand taper ream hingeflugs I4.'v 12. Mill mounting faces SSfOtrtheprism-i'super port lugs 36;!3'Irand 38..'

13.1 'Prolet mill 1 .prismsupportJ vlugs 135; 3l?l `and aan prism' support lugs. 1

15. VVDrill cover 1 plate hole lIIS iin' eyepiece bushing: S13-and drill'fc'over plate hole v59'in cover kluglll -lin the eyepiece extremity'V of the` body;-

16. Bore lobjective vbushings f 29.-

17: Borefeyepiece: bushings 3 I l i8. Tap-objective bushingv -29.

19.v -Y'I'ap4 eyepiece bushing 3 I .7"

20. Bur and countersink prism shelf-holes 39e-43 :inclusives 21; Tap cover holes 45-fand 59." 22; Tapprism 'shelii'holes'V 4I, 42 yandl 43. 28.` Mill abutting'hinge lugaces.`

24. Clean and' paintbodies and'apply rubberV covering 43;'fair dry' and then vulcanize;

25. Insert axle bushing I5`in hinge'"lugs;-l3

and rmly'secureand pin in position-byupsetex4 ting" axle `extren'iity `at 18 andpinningatf-I'I. f

271.*Po`sitionrright and'leftehandbody memeV bers in their respective positions vand Withltapered reamfline ream the bushings. I5 "andhingelugs I4.

28. Complete axle assembly.

29:1nstall prism assembly on the prism support lugs 36, 37 and 38, mount the frontcover plate and cement at Y(5I) (see Fig. 1) in position, 45

bodies, at the same time the. lower body.con.-

tours are formed. uniform location of the embossed portions 49 and' the holes liga'. The flanges Eiland 50a on the eyepiece -extremities of the upperandlower body halves may then be formed.. and .trimmed in any desired suitable. manner.

Prior to assembling or joining an: upper and a lower body half together as'noted in manufacturingprocess step number '7, thin stripsof This insures an accurate and' ribbon-like or wire-'likebrazing vmaterialarelaminated between the abutting ilangesurfaces of `the body halves.y Thebody'halvesarethen spot welded or otherwise suitablysecured togethen By? providing the thin'stri'ps'of -`brazing material:between the v'abutting surfaces'of the ilanges. -lx'and II a controlled amount of braz- 75 In :sa similar.: manner z-the objective: bushings ;29

are cut: from-tubular members:

Uponfsecuringthe various lugs andbushingsf to fthe;4 pressed .bodyfmembers 1 suitable' quantities 1 of .Jbrazing .material are applied to each and 1 ther` bodyl'or barrel f members '.-thus assembled `are placedf. in 'fa hydrogen controlled. furnace Where' a uniform'fheatingandcoolingv cycle takes place.` Eachuofuthe. bodies. is thus .brazed under .uni-1` `20 .formly controlled conditions of such character asrtoprovidefa minimumdistortion of the productfand; vat the"1sameutime,"provide maximumr dimensional. stability by.' thoroughly normalizv ingxthenstresscomponents-in the body.A The nii'shed product is, therefore, ra. uniformly strong,

permanently sized, unit assembly having-strength characteristics f and uniformly. accurate` =dimen sionsin'a degree' which'is believed to Vbe superior to-that -fobtainable in a similar-unit fabricatedv ,-fro'm-ioneupiece ofs'te'el; as hereinbefore men-v tioned, because of the' manufacturing variations resulting fromxthe'f morefcomplcated stamping operation required and l the: inherent strains' set uplin this more dicult type of stamping.

The machiningoperationsA and the sequence of their performanceas 'listed in steps 10 to-27 inclusi-vefarevery important: To obtain an accurately vfinishedY binocular it is necessary-to faithfully follow the steps as outlined; The' parallel grinding'lofthe objective and eyepiece body extremitiesistep 10)-"must be accurately accom' plished to insure parallel mounting of lthe objective and eyepiece lenses. Shouldother than-a parallel'relationl exist future reaming and tapping opera-tions; depending'upon these surfaces for ac'- curacyi'vwill be'in error andtheL optical axis of the lobjective-'lens may not bei parallelv with that' of the'- eyepiece lens.

Inasm-uch as ythe'lugs and bushings aresepa'-V frate components brazed to the body *of Athe binocular;their relative position is subjected'to greater variation thanthe equivalent `components of a die-castfbody:A Allof the inserted lugs and bushings=are,"therefore," preferably made' .of Ynoncorrosivev material 'so .that` these .elements may be machined'after'the brazin-g operation. Steps 12 and A13,l namely,` milling the" mounting faces of andprolemllin'gthe prism support lugs, pro

vides a control of themounting lug edges with respect .to the .components which vare mounted uponthe'prismfshelf; Likewise the. drilling and.

tappingoperations':performed on these members after Ibrazirfg insure accurate locationof the doWel holes :and tapped :holes in these members.

y lugs "I4 V`line"reamed, provides an extremely accu- 0 -ratecontrol of the hingingof the body members.

With this operation a positive parallel relationshipbetween. the optical -axes .and the mechanical or hinge 'axis is assured.

Frbmtheforegoing it is apparentthat the present Iinvention'provides a binocular which is inher- 'I- i 38;'ieyepiece f: bushing 3 I, coverplate lug 41 aref preferably ..made'of 1 extruded bar 'havingl Operationnumber 27.in which .the rightand.. left-hand body members, Withfthel vbushing I 5 secured "in .position on thel hin'gelugs .I 3, are .rela- .l tivelyjpositioned'and the. .bushing I5 and hinge.

ently strong and which by reason of its construction effects a measurable reduction in material and parts thus providing both economy and faciltiy of manufacture.

The foregoing disclosure and the showings made in the drawings are 'merely illustrative of the principles of this invention and should not be interpreted in a limiting sense. The only limitations should be determined from the scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. As an article of manufacture, a binocular body assembly comprising a pair of body members, a hinge having a plurality of body engaging lugs for pivotally joining the -bodies together, each of said body members comprising an upper and a lower half having flange portions extending longitudinally thereof, said body halves being joined along said flange portions, said lugs being provided with slots of sufficient depth in the body engaging extremities thereof for straddling and Y snugly engaging said flanges with the extremities of said lugs abutting the body members.

2. A binocular body member comprising a pair of sheet metal body forming members, each having longitudinal flanges along which said body members are joined and each having an exter-l nally protruding surface adjacent one of said flanges in a plane at an angle thereto, and hinge lugs provided with slots to straddle the joined flanges, secured to said joined flanges and protruding surfaces.

3. A binocular body member comprising, a pair of sheet-metal body forming halves, each having longitudinal flanges along which said body halves are joined and each having an externally protruding surface adjacent one of said anges and in a plane at right angles thereto, and hinge lugs having slots therein for receiving the joined flanges which lugs are adapted to be secured to said joined flanges and protruding surfaces.

4. A binocular body member comprising a sheet metal upper body-forming member and a sheet metal lower body-forming member, each of said members having outwardly extending rib members disposed lengthwise thereof for providing joining surfaces, an externally projecting surface extending lengthwise of each of said body-forming members, adjacent a rib thereof, said bodyforming members being disposed in mating relationship and joined along said joining surfaces, and hingelugs each having a slot therein for receiving the joined ribs and supported on said body by said joined ribs and projecting surfaces.

5. A binocular body member comprising a sheet metal upper body-forming member and a sheet metal lowe1` body-forming member, each of said members having outwardly extending rib mem# bers disposed lengthwise thereof for providing joining surfaces, an externally projecting body surface extending lengthwise of each of said bodyforming membersadjacent a rib thereof, said body-forming members being disposed in mating relationship and joined along said joining surfaces, and a pair of hinge lugs each having a slot therein for receiving the joined ribs and supported on said joined ribs and projecting body surfaces at the extremities of the projecting body surfaces.

6. A binocular body member comprising, in

combination, a pair of sheet metal body forming members each having longitudinally extending flanges along which said bodies are joined andl each having an externally projecting surface section adjacent one of said flanges in av plane at right angles thereto, hinge lugs supported upon the surfaces formed by the joined -anges and their adjacent surface sections, a bushing formed of an incomplete annulus secured at one longitudinal extremity of the assembled body member, a second bushing formed of a complete annulus secured at the other longitudinal extremity of the assembled body member, and a plurality of separate supporting members joined to said body member internally Ithereof and disposed such that selected surfaces of said supporting members define a single plane at right angles to the axes of said incomplete annulus and said complete annulus.

'7. A binocular body assembly comprising, in combination, a pair of body members, each of said body members comprising a pair of body forming members of sheet metal having longitudinally extending flanges along which the body forming members are joined, each of said fbody forming members having an externally project-- ing surface section adjacent a flange thereof joined with a flange of the other body forming member, a hinge comprising a plurality of lugs joined with the body members on said anges and externally projecting surface sections for pivotally joining the bodies, a bushing formed of an.in complete annulus secured in similar longitudinal extremities of each body member, a bushing formed of a complete annulus secured in the other to each body member internally thereof and disposed such that selectedv surfaces of said supporting members define a single plane at right angles to the axes of said incomplete annulus and said complete annulus.

WILLIAM J. RUSSELL. 

